The present invention pertains to aircraft safety. In particular, a systematic approach for optimizing flight safety in which multiple systems are integrated and deconflicted on a variety of operational platforms in varying mission roles.
A significant number of aircraft are destroyed and aircrew killed or injured each year because of aviation mishaps. Data from the Naval Safety Center collected on F/A-18, F-14, AV-8B, TAV-8B, EA-6B, T-45, S-3, T-2C and TA-4 aircraft revealed that 268 aircraft were destroyed and 192 crewmembers were killed or suffered major injury from January 1987 through September 1996. Controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) and mid-air collision, both typically resulting from a loss of situational awareness, accounted for a significant portion of these mishaps. Again according to the Naval Safety Center, these two mishap types accounted for approximately $1.8 billion in assets lost between 1990 and 1997.
Advances in aircraft technology have greatly expanded the flight envelope of operational aircraft, permitting them to perform a variety of military missions heretofore done only by specially configured platforms. This has resulted in the aircrew-aircraft interface becoming much more complex. Technology gains, coupled with a conscious decision to have single aircrew combat aircraft, have multiplied the pilot""s workload. When cockpit workloads compress decision time during certain flight segments, cautionary displays may be insufficient or disregarded by the aircrew as it reaches cognitive overload. When emergencies occur, especially compound emergencies, the aircrew can lose situational awareness while attempting to timely identify, decide on, and initiate necessary actions. A major cause of loss of situational awareness is that the amount of information that aircrews must process can be overwhelming and contradictory. Displays and warning systems have progressed, yet the information can be lost in a flood of data.
Accordingly there is a need for a system that significantly enhances mission performance, prevents accidents and improves emergency event survivability by integrating functions from a variety of systems to adaptively automate some of the tasks in combat aircraft.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for ensuring retention of situational awareness by employing an Active Network Guidance and Emergency Logic (ANGEL) system and method of using the same. In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a system for integrating and interacting with vehicle subsystems and controller subsystems, to prevent mishaps and accidents occurring during a mission includes a collection component operating to gather vehicle and situation status data continuously from the vehicle subsystems and the controller subsystems, an analysis component operating to compare the contents of the status data to acceptable limits, and a first (normal) mode operating when the contents of the status data are within the acceptable limits, (wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems). The system further includes a second mode operating when the contents of the status data are outside of the acceptable limits to a moderate degree, advising the controller subsystems of unacceptable status data and advising of possible courses of action, (wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems). The system further includes a third mode operating when the contents of the status data are outside of the acceptable limits to a severe degree including a binary code assigned when the status data is outside of the acceptable limits to the severe degree, the binary codes prioritized according to the severity and possibility of mishaps, a binary word formed by collecting the binary codes in order of priority, corrective actions determined corresponding to the binary word, corrective actions performed by effecting the operation of the vehicle and controller subsystems, and definitions of the moderate degree and the severe degree being adjustable according to the changing requirements of the mission.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, preferably the system includes the Active Network Guidance and Emergency Logic (ANGEL) program. The vehicle subsystems are aircraft subsystems and the controller subsystems include those through which a pilot interacts with the vehicle subsystems, and/or a command and control system interacting with the vehicle subsystems. The vehicle subsystems can be selected and/or deselected according to the requirements of the mission at any time. Preferably the system is installed as part of an aircraft""s Operational Flight Program (OFP). The system collects vehicle and situation status data continuously from at least one source selected from the group consisting of digital devices, analog devices, aural devices, devices communicating in three dimensions, shared memory devices, and any combination thereof. The sources can be located on a vehicle, on the ground, come from the controller, or from volatile and/or non-volatile memory. In addition, the preferred embodiment integrates and interacts with vehicle subsystems and controller subsystems by utilizing an intelligent agent (IA) and/or a decision table wherein both are particular to the vehicle and the controller.
Another embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention includes a system for integrating and interacting with vehicle subsystems and controller subsystems, to prevent mishaps and accidents occurring during a mission, including collecting means for gathering vehicle and situation status data continuously from the vehicle and controller subsystems, processing means for analyzing the status data by comparing the contents of the status data to acceptable limits, and means for operating in a first (normal) mode when the contents of the status data are within the acceptable limits, (wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems). The system further includes means for operating in a second mode when the contents of the status data are outside of the acceptable limits to a moderate degree, advising the controller subsystems of unacceptable status data, and advising of possible courses of action, (wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems). The system further includes means for operating in a third mode when the contents of the status data are outside of the acceptable limits to a severe degree including, means for assigning a binary code when the status data is outside of the acceptable limits to the severe degree, means for prioritizing the binary codes according to the severity and possibility of mishap, means for collecting the binary codes, in order of priority, to form a binary word, means for determining corrective actions corresponding to the binary word, means for effecting the operation of the vehicle and controller subsystems to perform the corrective actions, and means for adjusting the definitions of the moderate degree and the severe degree according to the changing requirements of the mission.
A second aspect of the present invention is a method for integrating and interacting with vehicle subsystems and controller subsystems, to prevent mishaps and accidents occurring during a mission, including gathering vehicle and situation status data continuously from the vehicle and controller subsystems, analyzing the status data by comparing it to known acceptable limits, and then operating in a normal mode when the data is within acceptable limits, wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems. The method further includes operating in a second mode when the contents of the status data are outside of acceptable limits to a moderate degree, advising the controller subsystems of the unacceptable status data and advising of courses of action, wherein the controller subsystems can make inquiries of the vehicle subsystems and can direct the operation of the vehicle subsystems. The method further includes, operating in a third mode when the contents of the status data are outside of the acceptable limits to a severe degree. The third mode operation includes assigning a binary code when the status data is outside of the acceptable limits to a severe degree, prioritizing the binary codes according to the severity and possibility of mishaps, collecting the binary codes, in order of priority, to form a binary word, determining corrective actions corresponding to the binary word, effecting the operation of the vehicle and controller subsystems to perform the corrective actions, and adjusting the definitions of xe2x80x9cmoderatexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cseverexe2x80x9d degrees according to the changing requirements of the mission.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description and drawings are exemplary only and are not to be viewed as being restrictive of the present invention as claimed. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.